A Phone Call to My Best Friend
by Kristen3
Summary: Set after "Hail the Conquering Gordy." When her pep-talk to Ted makes her unexpectedly unhappy, Mary makes a long-distance call to New York. One-shot.


Once again, Mary threw her toe shoes in the garbage, where they belonged. The pain she felt after trying them on again made it abundantly clear she no longer needed them. But, with a sigh, she recalled the conversation she'd just had with Ted. Her attempt to make the anchorman feel better had backfired. Ted was now on top of the world, but Mary had definitely had better days.

She noticed the phone sitting there. It might be a bit late in New York, but Mary had a feeling Rhoda wouldn't mind. When her best friend had moved away, they had made an unspoken pact: the distance and time difference would not affect their friendship in the slightest. Mary sat down and dialed a familiar number.

"Hello?" A groggy voice with an unmistakable New York accent answered.

"Rhoda. It's Mary." Just saying those words made Mary feel better.

"Hey, kid." Rhoda glanced at the time, but didn't mention it. She knew Mary wouldn't be calling now without a good reason.

"I've just been talking to Ted, and now I'm sort of depressed," Mary said with a sigh.

"Yeah, he does have that effect on people," Rhoda quipped.

"But this is more than the usual. Remember Gordy, our weatherman?"

"Oh, yeah. I hear he's made a name for himself here in the Big Apple."

"He sure has. He came back to Minneapolis to visit. It sure was great seeing him again. But of course, Ted didn't take it so well. Gordy's looking for a co-host for his show in New York, so..."

"Ted wanted the job," Rhoda filled in, having no doubt where Mary was going.

"How'd you guess?" Mary asked. "Naturally, Gordy had to tell him no. But when Ted wouldn't let up, Gordy started telling him all about his chauffeured limo, his salary, and everything else that comes with this new job."

"Oh. I bet Ted took it well," Rhoda laughed.

"Yeah," Mary replied. "He was crushed. So I was telling him how everyone has a dream that doesn't work out. Like me with ballet."

"I didn't know you ever wanted to dance," Rhoda said. They'd been best friends for seven years now; Rhoda couldn't believe there was anything in Mary's past that she didn't know.

"Yeah. Back when I was a little girl, I took ballet lessons. I thought I'd be world-famous. I dreamed about it day and night." Even as she spoke, Mary could still recall how she could see her name in lights one day.

"Oh," Rhoda said. "I'm sure you were adorable in your little tutu."

"I was. But as I got older, I found out that dancing 'wasn't my calling.' I was devastated. But I moved on. I worked hard in school, and well...you know the rest."

Rhoda knew Mary well enough to hear what her friend hadn't said. "I guess you never thought your life would end up here, huh? Yeah, well, join the club. I never thought I'd be a divorcee, either."

"But, Rhoda, Ted pointed out to me that he may not be the most famous anchorman in the country, but he _is_ an anchorman. I'm not a dancer at all."

"Is that what's bugging you?" Rhoda asked. "You're much better off where you are than you would ever be as a dancer. Ballet dancers have to worry about their weight _all_ the time. Trust me, you don't want to live like that."

"Yeah, you're right," Mary admitted. She'd never thought of that.

"Plus, you love doing the news. That's what you always used to tell me. So you're not on a stage. Nobody cares. Not everyone gets a chance to do their dream job, but most people don't even get to do something they love, either."

"You're right. I love the energy in the newsroom. Plus, I couldn't ask for better coworkers than Murray and Mr. Grant. I could never have that on a ballet stage. I guess I was just thinking about when I was a little girl, and the dreams I had for myself. It's been so long, I had forgotten all about the disappointment, until Ted brought it back up again. Thanks, Rhoda."

"Please, kid. What are best friends for? You should never base your self-esteem on what Ted Baxter says." Rhoda laughed.

"I don't even know what I was thinking," Mary laughed. Suddenly, everything she'd felt in the past few minutes seemed so silly. One conversation with her best friend had turned her mood around. "Thanks. I really mean it."

"Mare, you don't have to thank me. You've put me back together plenty of times."

Mary knew they were the same words she'd have said, had the situation been reversed. Their conversation had helped her realize an important fact: even if her life hadn't gone as planned, she still had a lot to be thankful for, especially that Rhoda was her friend.

 **The End**


End file.
